I Thought I Saw
by GhostDog401
Summary: "The phone rings once, twice, three times, four times, five times and then, "hello you've reached Agent Coulson is this is some prank call and not an international emergency please hang up. Thank you." And then a beep and Tony groans, tears trying to leak from his eyes." Tony Stark is lying, bleeding in the street and he sees someone that's not supposed to be alive


**I Thought I Saw...**

* * *

"Mr. Stark?" The voice was gravelly and rough.

"Who wants to know?"

The man doesn't say anything, only steps into view, all too quickly Tony notices the knife.

"Woah there buddy, if you want something all you have to do is ask."

"I want my fiancé back," the man growls, the knife flashing dangerously. "Can you bring her back Mr. Stark?"

Tony gulps and stares at the man as he continues to rant.

"She was on the phone when she went, screaming about aliens in New York. I listened to her _die_ Mr. Stark. And you can't fix that, you _can't_ bring her back. Can you?"

Tony fidgets and tries not to panic, "listen I'm sorry man, but everyone lost someone that day."

"Oh ya? Who'd you lose Mr. Stark?"

An agent, no a friend, flashes across his field of vision, but he shakes the face away, "that's not important."

The man sneers, "well yer probably lying, so of course it's not important."

"Now listen here, I'm sure that—"He never finishes and Tony gasps as the knife flashes and stabs through his hoodie and into his chest, breathing heavily. He would've collapsed to the ground, but the man grabs him by the collar pulling the billionaire up into towards his face.

"That Mr. Stark was for New York," a man told him. "Next time you go out walking you should wear yer armor, or call up yer friends." Tony gulps and tries to turn his head away, the man smelled like he'd fallen asleep in a beer barrel.

"Oh don't worry," Tony coughs. "I will and when I do I will kick your—"He was cut off by a cough and he tried to ignore the fact that he could taste blood.

"Hmmm, I don't think there's going to be next time Mr. Stark," the man continued before literally dropping the ironed avenger and walking away.

He was alone, his heart beating all too fast in his ears.

Really, he reasons. He shouldn't have been walking alone at night in New York in the first place, but he had wanted to get a feel for what clean up would be like, he supposed that this was the consequence.

Gulping he realizes that he's bleeding all too fast and even with the knife blocking the wound he's still losing too much.

"JARVIS," he groans, only to remember that he isn't wearing his ear piece.

"Right," he mumbles. "Okay, think Stark, phone, pocket, call somebody." It shouldn't be this hard to concentrate, but it is and he thinks he might be sick as the strong smell of iron fills his nose.

He whimpers a little as he moves, but somehow by some miracle he manages to grab his phone and bring it to his face.

"Come on," he mutters trying to blink away the black dots that are appearing in his vision. "Easy Stark, just select a contact and push call." He scrolls through only to realize he can't read the screen and in desperation he pushes a random number. Hoping, praying, that it's someone who can help him and not some one night stand.

The phone rings once, twice, three times, four times, five times and then, "hello you've reached Agent Coulson is this is some prank call and not an international emergency please hang up. Thank you." And then a beep and Tony groans, tears trying to leak from his eyes.

"You idiot," he mumbles, not really sure if he's talking to himself or Coulson. "I should've just deleted this number when I had the chance, then I wouldn't be in this situation." Coughing, he winces as the knife pulls at his skin and insides. "Stupid sentimental value, this is why I don't keep things Pepper."

He pushes the home button and attempts to hit another number only to gasp for breath as his body convulses and pain shoots through him, sending black dots into his vision rapidly. He can't, there's so much blood and he's not going to make it.

Panic has seized him now and he's desperately groping for his dropped phone only to feel warm liquid running through his fingers.

"Stop, calm down," the voice beside him says softly and he freezes, that voice, he knows that voice.

"Coulson?" He gasps and the man looks at him.

"Who?"

"No, sorry, thought you were someone else," his vision has cleared some and he can tell now that the man is indeed someone else. Sporting a _full_ head of black hair, Coulson was balding. Something Tony had never let him forget.

Tony tried to sit up, only for strong hands to grab his shoulders and force him back down.

"Sir, please, you're going to hurt yourself. I've already called 9-1-1 and they're on their way okay. You just need to hang on."

"Pepper," Tony gasped. "I need to call Pepper I need to—"

"Already done," the man cut him off sharply. "I uh apologize; I went through your phone, called this Pepper of yours as well as a Rhodes, and um…a Steve Rogers…is that Captain America?"

The man's voice got a little bit giddy and it fumbles over the last name, Tony laughs.

"I'll introduce you," he gasps "He's a trooper, once you get past the whole red, white and blue bossy old virgin bit."

Through bleary vision Tony watches as the man's eyebrows rose, "is that so?"

"Yep you wouldn—" Tony's sentence is cut off by a rough series of coughs, blood flying from his mouth, the man's hands grabbing onto his shoulders, desperately trying to steady the billionaire.

"Oh." Tony said blearily as he notices the blood on the black haired man's jacket. "Oh. That's not good, is it?"

"No, sir," the man's brow furrowed. "No it's really not."

"Can you get the knife out?" Tony asks.

The man hesitates and then, "better not…it will speed up the bleeding. I'm sorry Mr. Stark."

As a reply Tony broke into another coughing fit.

Sirens ring out suddenly in the distance.

"Ahh, but you your hear that. There's your rescue."

"Hmmmm," Tony replies blearily.

"No, Mr. Stark, sir...Tony, you need to stay awake."

"It's cold."

"That's just the shock speaking, Mr. Stark, you're going to be _fine._"

"It was cold there too," Tony mumbles suddenly, eyes unfocused and hazy. "The cave, was cold there." He shivers. "Didn't like it there."

The man's eyes soften, "you're fine now Mr. Stark. You're going to be fine."

Tony's eyes start to slide shut, "hmmm, don't think so. Who'da thought survived space only to die a couple days later huh? That's life I suppose."

"Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark! Tony! Tony! Stop listen!" The yelling dies as a loud roaring over takes Tony's ears and his vision begins to go black.

He sees people in uniforms swarming over him with the man yelling frantically about how if they were his men they'd all be fired.

Vaguely he once again thinks of how much the man sounds like Phil before he fades into nothing.

**oOo**

Tony awoke to a faint beeping,

"Pepper, I told you stop setting the alarm," he groans.

Or rather he tired to groan, what came out was more so a bunch of jumbled syllables over a numb tongue and out a dry mouth.

This was followed by a startled and relieved, "Tony! Oh thank—Rhodey he's awake!" And Tony watches her smack said man awake.

This was followed by a loud crash and curse as the man bolted up.

Tony sniggered; or rather he tried to, the pain in his side made it hard. Tony open his mouth to make some witty reply only to be cut off as coughs racked his body.

"Ow," he muttered instead, his voice raspy from disuse.

"Here," a nurse said suddenly putting a cup in front of him. "Drink this."

Tony stared at the cup, eyebrows together, "I-I don-"The rest of the sentence was lost to coughing.

"He doesn't like being handed things," Pepper supplied, taking the water from the nurse, before handing it to Tony, who drunk greedily. "It's complicated."

The nurse looked hurt and a bit confused, but nodded, "sip slowly Mr. Stark, wouldn't want that water to make a reappearance now would we?"

Tony glowered into his cup; he wasn't a child, "how long was I out?" He asked, the words finally forming in the way he wished.

Pepper bit her lip, "About two days."

"You got lucky," Rhodey inserted. "It could've been a lot worse, _should've _been a lot worse."

"And why's that platypus?" Tony asked eyebrows up.

"The knife was jagged and it looked as if you had tried to pull it out multiple times as your body entered shock, a team said that a man found you shortly after you were attacked and called 9-1-1. You were _lucky_ Tony, if that man hadn't have found you, you'd be dead."

Well that was sobering thought, but he'd been dead before and so instead of comforting his friend Tony just leaned back into his pillow and said, "Well Rhodes lucky is my middle name."

"No it's not, it's Edward."

"Like the vampire?"

"Yes Pepper, my parents named me after the sparkly dude from Twilight, my secrets out! Call the press! They'll—"

"I get it Tony."

The trio sunk into comfortable silence, before Tony asked, "the man what was his name?"

The question caught the duo off guard and they looked at each other, "We're um…we're not sure." Pepper said finally. "He road with you to the hospital and then after making sure we arrived, he left."

Tony's eyebrows rose, "it never occurred to you to ask the man who saved my life his name?"

"We were a little preoccupied," Rhodey supplied, glowering at Tony. "Or did you forget that someone tried to cut open your side."

"Whatever," Tony grumbled. "It was weird though for a moment I thought I saw…" He trailed off.

"Saw who?"

"Coulson, I thought I saw Coulson and I could've sworn that—"

"Tony," Pepper's voice is soft as she cuts him off. "Tony, Phil's dead."

"I know," the man said quietly. "But I just thought…."

"You need sleep," Rhodey butt in suddenly, grabbing Pepper's hand. "So do you Pepper, I say we all go home—Not you Tony!" The man in question laid back down in bed. "And rest."

"I suppose," Pepper replied slowly, kissing Tony on top of the head she smiled down at him.

"You missed," he muttered.

"Once you've brushed your teeth we'll talk."

Tony pouted, but a smile tugged at his lips, "see you soon?"

"See you soon." And just like that they were gone.

Tony watched as they left eyes heavy and slowly he drifted back into blackness. He never noticed the suited, balding, man in sunglasses staring at him from the window, smile tugging at his lips.

* * *

**So there we have it...my first Avengers fanfiction...**

**I actually started this a while back, before Agents of SHIELD was announced, as a way to help cope with Phil's apparent death...so yep**

**Note: Tony's middle name actually is Edward in the comics...at least according to the internet it is...**

**Anyways please review :D**


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